Ice-harvesting machine.



PATENTBD FEB. 4, 1906. T. DIAMOND.

ICE HARVESTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.14, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

PATENTED FEB. 4, 1908.

T. DMMOND. l 10E HARVBSTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 1.4, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THOMAS DIAMOND, OF WAUKESHA, vWISCONSIN.

' Ion-HARVESTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

satelites ret. e, 190e.

AppnmiO-n nea January 14. 1907. serai No. 362.134.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS DIAMOND, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Waukesha, in the county of Waukesha and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ice-Har vesting Machines; and'I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention is toprovide a simpleand 'effective machine for cutting ice, sai machine being so constructed and arranged as' to greatly increase the harvesting of ice over present methods with thel least eX- penditure of skilled labor.

The invention therefore consists in various details of construction and combination of parts as hereinafter fully set forth with ref erence to the'accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

vIn the drawings: Figure 1 represents a side elevation of an ice cutting machine em bodying the features of my invention, the view being partly broken away 'and in section to bet-ter illustrate theinvention; Fig. 2, a plan view of the same with portions broken away and'in section, and Fig. 3, a detail crosssection of one of the runners showing the locking mechanism of a guide-shoe.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A indicates runners suitably braced by stringers B, C, which together with the runners form a rigid frame that serves as a support for the various mechanisms constituting my irnproved ice-cutter. A bracket D is secured to the rear end ofthe machine having rearward extending arms D, which terminate in bearings for a shaft E. The said shaft has secured thereto a ,pair of drums c. (only one of which is shown) and a ratchet-wheel t arranged to be engaged by a dog c, which dog is pivoted to one of the 'bracket-arms. A hand-crank e is alsosecured to the aforesaid shaft for the urpose of winding a pair of cables f, whic i' cables are "connected to the drum g, of a saw carrying bail F. The bail F is mounted upn sleeve-extensions of boxes h carried by the bracket D, said boxes being provided for a counter-shaft t from which motion is imparted to a saw-arbor j through belt-and-pulley or sprocket and chain-drive connection, the sawarhor being set in bearing It' secured to the bail l." adjacent to ythe free end thereof. A series of saws G are sei cured to the arbor y', one of which islocated centrally of said arbor and the remaining two are spaced equal distances therefrom so that their line of travel is directly outside the track of the runners, there being suitable saw guide-plugs k, c carried by the bail F for engagement with the saws to prevent buckling of same.

By the foregoing description it will be understood that the saws may be raised or lowered with the windlass mechanism to regulate the depth of cut, and the said saws may also be' raised clear of the ice for transporta.- tion or when the machine is to be turned, the ratchet-wheel b land dog c being providedfor locking the saw carrying bail at any desired elevation after the drum-shaft has been revolved'by means of the hand-crank. In order to limit the drop of the saws, adjustable stops m are secured to the runners, having studs n, which studs extend in the path of .the bail F and serve as rests for said bail when the latter has reached the desired downward limit.

A motor engine H is secured to the ma chine-frame, the shaft I of the engine being provided with a pulley in belt-connection with a pulley o on the eounter-shaft i,

through-which power is transmitted to the A saws. The engine-shaft I is also backgeared to a shaft J, mounted in bearings on the motor-base, the last named shaftbeing rovided with a sprocketfwheel K'that is in inlebelt connection with another sprocketwheel L fast on a shaft M at the forward end of the machine. The shaft M is mounted in boxes-i secured to the runners, and carries a'pair of toothed traction-wheels N, the teeth. of whichwheels are adapted to engage the ice and draw the mechanism forward at the required'speed, said speed being such as to permit the saws to cut their way clear the desired depth in the ice, without undue forward pulling-strain caused through the travel of the machine. v

I n operation, the machine as presently constructed, is propelled forward by the traction-wheels in a straight line, the saws at the same time being driven, cut the first three rows of kerfs in the field of ice, and owing to the traction-wheels being set apart as shown, there will be little tendency for said machine to run other than in the direction desired. When the first row of lrerfs have been finished the machine is turnedLby the operator raising thelfront ends of the runners, through litting-jaclz O, the threaded-spindle oi" which jack is revoluble in a f:irrespondingly threaded-nut o secured to the stringer C at the forward end of said machine. The end of the litting-jaclr spindle carries a disk p, and when this dislril is forced against the ice it lifts the entire iront of the runners, bringing t the weight at this end upon said. disk while the heels oi' said ruimere only rest upon the ice at the back of the niachine. The saws are then raised-by the windlass and the machine may be readily turned by hand and placed in position to cut the next row of kerlis, or a single row as maybe desired, in which case two of the saws would be placed in the lcerfs previously cut, while the outside saw would be in position to make a fresh cut.

In order to hold the machine parallel with the previous cu ts, guide-shocs P, I are provided at either side of the runners directly in lline with the outside saws, and a similar shoe Q at the forward end. of the machine is provided to operate in conjunction with the central saw. The rear shoes I are secured to lugs g having hubs which are loosely mounted. upon the sleeve-extensions oi boxes L. `The 'forward side-shoes Il are similarly provided. with lcgs'iitted over sleeve-extensions 7' Oi" the boxes hlt oi sha'it M. All ol'4 these shoes are'arranged to be swung up and locked when not in use by s pring-eontrolled plugs .v carried by the g lior/ engagement with sockets t Oi' plates that are last on the sides ol" the runners, the. plates being also provided with lugs u against which the plugs rest and thereby prevent the shoes from running too deep when they 'arel in their working positions. The central shoe, t2, at the 'lin'n'ard end oi the machine has its leg q/ mounted upon the sha-it M, said leg being provided with an ex? tension (fu/'hielt is adapted toengageand lock under the nose oi' a dog e, whieh dog is pivoted between ears ol'v the lifting-jack nut o/ and serves to holdlt'ne shoe Q, ont ol" working position when desired.

By the above described arrangement o'lE shoes, it will bel seen that it the machine is cutting one kerl", the eenler, and one set ol" sidwslioes together with their saws are .itted into the herl's previously eut, and these shoes will .serve not only to clean ont thel said keri's, as the machine is propelled, bnl will also hold the mat-bine in its course as it travels 'lorward and thereby talre any undue side-strain l'rom their sans, which saws are now running idle. The side-shoes, in this ease, which are in iront ol'l they saw tha t cutting are loe-hed in. their raised position. by the 'plugs as described, it beiig understood should. the defo hei-is, the center-shoe will Ad loelred by the dog engaging ion g as previously described. t

While I have shown and described the machine as beingll self-propelled, it is obvious granulated particles of ice over the machine and also protects the operator fronrbeing injured by contact wit-h said saws, it being un derstood that the weight of the saws and the swinging bail is sufficient to hold the same down to cut the desired depth.

While I have shown and described the saws at the 'rear of the frame, it is obvious'that they may be located at the forward end with guide-shoes in advance thereof and also following said saws, and in some instances it may be desirable to substitute a chain-belt and sprocket-wheel drive for the aforesaid saws, in place of the belts and pulleys shown.

I claim:

.' l. An ice cutting machine frame having runners and traction-wheels, a

vertically adjustable swinging bail 'in con# nection with the rear of the frame, a series of 4rotary saws carried by the bail, a motor en gine in gear-connection with the saws and traction-wheels, adjustable guide-shoes in advance ol eaeh oi" said saws andalined therewith, and means for raising the tractionwheels clear of the ice. when the frame is to be turned.- 4

2. An ieccutting machine comprising a frame having runners and traction-wheels, a verticalljr adjustable swinging-bail in. eo'nnection with thel rear of the frame, adjustable stops carried by said frame in opposition to downward movement of the swinging bail, a series` oll rotary saws carried by the bail, a motor in gear-connectionwith the saws, adjustable guide-shoes in advance of eaeh olI said saws and alined therewith, said guides being arranged to travel in kerfs previously eut by the particular saws in which they are lined` and means for raising the traction-wheels clear ol' the ice when the frame is to beI turned.

comprising a I. An iee-eutting machine comprising a Atrame having ruimers and traction-wheels, a

guides being arranged to travel in kerfs pre-t viously eut byl the pertculer saws'n wnieh the county of Waukeshe and State of Wis theyere lined., and e spindle in threaded-oon- Cousin in the presence of two-Witnesses.

nection with the central portion of the frame Wheeby the traction-Wheels are raised freni THGMAS DIAMOND 5 the ice When said frame is to be turned. Witnesses;

1n testimony that I claim the foregoing l C. H. JACOB,

have hereunto set my hand at Waukesha inv A. R. CHAMBERS 

